The High Church of Messiah-as-Emperox
The High Church of Messiah-as-Emperor is the official religion of the Empire. Having emerged as an amalgamation of the old Earthly religions (now called Primal Religions), the High Church is interwoven with the nobility and embedded deeply as the primary faith of Imperial civilization. It controls, manages, and facilitates every aspect of spiritual life for most of Acheron Rho. Doctrine The High Church of Messiah-as-Emperor believes that the Emperor is a recurring reincarnation or eternal visitation of heaven's will in reality. The central directive of the Church is to maintain the sanctity of the Imperial throne and assist the Emperor in guiding his subjects on the path of the Ten Holy Virtues. The Church’s established positions include anti-alien, anti-synthetic, and pro-nobility principles. The Ten Holy Virtues # Faith - ''“Faith above all. We must trust God and their chosen Emperor to guide us.” Faith is exemplified by daily prayer, regular attendance of Church ceremonies, dutiful tithing, and pilgrimage to holy sites. # '''Propriety - '"We must be obedient to tradition, ceremony, courtesy and station." ''Propriety is exemplified by respectful loyalty to righteous authority and cultural norms, along with unfailing intolerance for all heretics and heathens. Custom, dress, and technology all must adhere to Propriety. # '''Justice - '"We must reward those who behave rightly and punish those who do not." ''Justice is exemplified by its unflinching enforcement, and we must correct our own failings before looking to those of others. # '''Fortitude - '"We must patiently endure the challenges laid upon us and follow the rightful path despite them." ''Fortitude is exemplified by steadfast courage and endurance in the face of adversity, particularly in avoiding all cringing or complaint when upon holy ground or fulfilling holy duties. # '''Wisdom - '"We must strive to see the world in its truth and shape it according to God’s will." ''Wisdom is exemplified by perceived the flawed world as it is, but never losing sight of what it should be. Daily reflection upon the sacred texts and their application to our lives is essential to Wisdom. # '''Temperance - '"We must show prudent moderation and diligent control over our desires." ''Temperance is exemplified by self-restraint in all facets, particularly regular fasting and avoidance of intoxicants. # '''Diligence - '"We must be ever persistent and expend all effort and attention in keeping ourselves and others to the true path." ''Diligence is exemplified by constant, tireless vigilance against temptation and treachery in all aspects of life. # '''Charity - '"We must show compassion to those worthy of God’s mercy." ''Charity is exemplified by philanthropic acts and outreach to faithful sufferers. # '''Integrity - '"We must honor our oaths and uphold the truth." ''Integrity is exemplified by unfailing honesty and the exposure of deviants, as well as regular confession of our failings. # '''Hope - '"We must never despair, no matter how dark the hour, as God shines their light upon us." ''Hope is exemplified by the conquest of despair, symbolized most prominently by the restriction of mourning to a designated period, as well as the teaching of the Virtues to the ignorant. The Imperial Succession Beyond it's spiritual duties, the High Church will play a critical role in this current time of trouble. If a new Emperor is not chosen by the end of this year, the High Exarch shall become Steward and Regent of the Empire, ruling by the grace of God and their Virtues. While the Church shall strive to ensure a stable succession, they must also ensure that any successor is truly worthy of the throne. Organisation Naming Scheme The general naming scheme of the High Church follows this pattern: '(Title)(Branch)(potential additional title)' Nobles who join the High Church lose their noble titles after they completed their studies. While they are still Acolytes they retain their noble title. Hierarchy The High Church is led by the High Exarch who is supported and advised by the Council of Exarchs. Below that there are 10 branches, each led by one Exarch. Each of the branches has a particular duty to the church and most have their own supporting doctrine. Below the Exarchs are Abbots and High Priests. The High Priests can be from any of the 10 branches, and are the head of the High Church on their respective planet. They usually preside over a church in the planetary capital, and coordinate all High Church activity on the planet. The duty of the Abbots is to lead religious services for the nobility and provide spiritual counsel to the heads of houses. Alongside the High Priests there are High Inquisitors and Hierophants in service of the branches. The former being the executive arm focused on identifying and investigating deviations and threats, while the latter are the theological scholars advising the Exarchs and other leaders. The bulk of the clergy are the Priests, who conduct public ceremonies and provide direct spiritual guidance to the people of nearly every settled world in the sector. Branches # [[High Order|'High Order']]' - Bureaucracy and central administration of the High Church. # [[Guardians|'''Guardians]]' - '''Protectors of humanity and the faith. # [[Crusaders|'Crusaders']]' - Military branch and fleet. # [[Orthodoxy|'''Orthodoxy]]' - '''Followers of the Scripture as written. # [[Masoodites|'Masoodites']]' - Believe that the first High Exarch is the true Prophet. # [[Conservatives|'''Conservatives]]' - '''Followers of old dogma with ever new interpretations. # [[Reformists|'Reformists']]' - Take a practical view on Doctrine and Faith. # [[Karmists|'''Karmists]]' - '''Believe in a cycle of rebirth which ends in your soul merging with the Emperor's. # [[Observers|'Observers']]' - Watchers and guides who try to interfere as little as possible. # [[Purists|'''Purists]]' - '''Concerned with the purity of humanity in the face of aliens, synths and other threats. Sects and Cults The Branches of the High Church are overarching adminstrational systems over many smaller Sub-sects. A Sect is a smaller group of worshipers who still submit to the High Church, whearas a Cult are a breakaway priest or group of clergy who have created an alternate system in defiance of the High Church. '''Sects of the Guardians' Sects of the Crusaders Sects of the Orthodoxy Sects of the Masoodites Sects of the the Conservatives Sects of the Reformists Sects of the Karmists Sects of the Observers Soul-ex-Sol - They place particular significance on Stars Sects of the Purists Nox Fide - A breakaway cult that worships darkness of the Eternal Night Additional Information Holidays *'The long Vigil (aka Scream-day)' The Scream is the most significant event the Sector has experienced. The Church holds that the reason for the Scream, regardless of who actually caused it, was lack of faith by mankind. For this reason, the ten days following the Vernal Equinox on Imperial Prime are days of Vigil. Each day is devoted to one of the virtues. People observe their Vigil in whatever way they chose, but it is mostly a solemn occasion. In the past few decades an 11th day has been incorporated into the Holiday. On the last day, people dress up as pre-Scream humans or Aliens and celebrate the end of the Scream and the continuation of hope. These recent changes are mostly due to ACRE’s efforts to commercialize this sacred holiday. *'Mercurial Day' It was the day after The Scream. The High Exarch was walking around the High Temple on Imperial Prime dreading to face the crowds that were gathering outside. As he was walking the halls he heard a voice singing out loud. What he found was an Acolyte sitting somberly in an alcove next to a wooden box, playing a so called “vinyl” record, one of the only pieces of technology to survive the Scream. The High Exarch sat down with the acolyte and quietly listened through the whole record. After it was done the High Exarch looked at the Acolyte and said: “From now on, you will be my Grand Voice” and glancing down at the wooden box he added “the Second person to ever hold that title”. For this very reason, Mercurial day is celebrated on the first day of a new year, it is the heralding in of a new year and a new beginning. *'The Pilgrimage '''Each year in the warmest months of Andophael, Millions of pilgrims from across the sector arrive on Andophael in order to complete the Pilgrimage. This includes completing Ten trials, each corresponding to a virtue. The Holy Planet Andophael ''For main article, see [[Andophael|'Andophael']] Andophael is the Holy Planet of the High Church and seat of the Council of Exarchs. It is a frozen world and pilgrimage site for any followers of the imperial faith. Decrees *Alien Decree - "The High Exarchs Divine Proclamation on the Sanctity of the Human Soul" *Synth Decree - "The Council of Exarchs Divine Proclamation on the Mocking of Human Divinity via Synthetic Organisms" The Symbol of the Church The traditional symbol of the High Church is a decagram surrounding an image of a throne, representing the Ten Virtues and the Emperor. However, in consultation with outside “branding” experts, the Church has adopted a new sigil to demonstrate its renewed and enduring commitment to bring the people of Acheron Rho reassurance in these uncertain times. The new sigil uses a tau cross in the shape of a human created from a womb, a celebration of the birth cycle. This emphasis on renewal and new beginning shows our trust and expectation in the ascendancy of a new Emperor. As the nine months of gestation align with the Ten Holy Virtues - birth itself being the tenth virtue of Hope - so too does the tau cross (humanity) and its intersection with the central perfect circle (God) consist of ten points. The background pattern symbolizes the Church’s authority and dedication, with four quadrants and four axes combining with the cross and circle to also reach the holy 10. The Music of the Church The High Church features many holy songs and hymns. The most holy of which is played before each service. Excommunication A House, major or minor, may request that a member be excommunicated. This usually happens for a crime so heinous that house punishments don’t fit, so they have to have them excommunicated before executing them. For non-nobles, the decision to excommunicate is usually handled at a local level, either by an Exarch or by an Emissary in the case the request comes from a particular house. For particularly heinous crimes, crimes committed by a group, or crimes committed by a noble, the church’s investigative wing, the Inquisitors, forwards the results of an investigation to the Council of Ten for a vote. If the majority agrees, the Voice makes a declaration that the individual or group is excommunicated, and writes a decree listing their crimes against the virtues. The decree is ceremonially nailed to the front doors of the Church on Andophael, and a copy is forwarded to The PRISM Network for dissemination. An Excommunicate is barred from all church services. They cannot enter into a contract with any Imperial citizen, and any current contracts are immediately nullified. Their property or holdings may be seized by their former House. In the case of the leader of a House, the property is immediately transferred to their heir. If there is no heir, the property and liquid assets are transferred to a special Church Escrow account for “safekeeping” until an heir is “found”. The Excommunicate may be killed for any reason. They cannot pay for goods and services, as legally they are not the owners of any credits they possess, so merchants are encouraged to “confiscate” their currency and give them nothing in return. They may not live on any Imperial planet, nor any planet with an Imperial presence. Official Statements of The High Church For main article, see [http://highchurch.space/Decrees '''Statements from the High Church']'' Press Releases from The High Church Spirit of Unity Binds the Empire on Andophael External Links *Official High Church Website *Grand Voice's Twitter Category:Factions Category:Churches Category:The High Church of Messiah-as-Emperor